February 20th, 2011, 11:59 pm by DAN WOIKE, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

During Sunday's game, a few fans at the game began to chant “M-V-P, M-V-P,” but instead of being directed at Bryant, the chant began when the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose was at the free-throw line.

Rose's play in the first half of the season is the major reason the Chicago Bulls are starting to be mentioned in the same breath as the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in terms of the Eastern Conference hierarchy. Rose is averaging just less than 25 points a game with 8.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds. Sunday, he became the first Chicago Bull to start in the All-Star Game since Michael Jordan. In Sunday's game, Rose finished with 11 points and five assists.

Still, Rose isn't necessarily comfortable with all the attention his game brings.

“I'm not used to it yet. It still all feels so new,” Rose said. “I'm not taking any of it for granted. I'm a hooper, but being famous, I'm just not used to it.”

LeBron James suddenly could be seen barking at his Eastern Conference teammates in the fourth quarter, trying to fire them up.

They trailed by 17 points entering the quarter of Sunday's All-Star Game and James wasn't going to leave Staples Center quietly. This might have been the NBA's annual “fun” weekend, but it still was a game to the Miami Heat star.

“You get out here and you know, once you get on the court and the referee gets to blowing the whistle and you start putting up points, a guy's defending and the competitive nature takes over and you want to win,” James said.

So James took over, scoring 14 of his 29 points in the final quarter, but it wasn't enough as the Western Conference All-Stars held off the rally for a 148-143 victory Sunday at Staples Center.

Sunday night's All-Star Game at Staples Center showed that the Kobe Bryant-LeBron James debate still has plenty of legs. But listening to some other All Stars speak after the Western Conference's 148-143 win over the East, you wouldn't be wrong in thinking a third name could soon be in that discussion.

Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant scored 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, helping the West hold off an Eastern Conference comeback.

“He's just so long. He can get his shot off. He can go left, right. He can post. He's got deep range,” Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said. “He's really the total package.”

Down 17 to start the fourth quarter, the East made a furious comeback, cutting it the deficit to two points before Durant stuck a dagger in the rally.

First, the 6-foot-9 four-year pro drained an 18-foot jumper, showing off his mid-range game. After an Amar'e Stoudemire miss, Durant twisted that knife, making the wound fatal by drilling a three-point shot to put the West up seven.

Q. Kobe, you always say that you feed off criticism, so how do you feel about your performance tonight? Was that an answer to all of the criticism that you have been receiving the last week?

KOBE BRYANT: No, I could care less about the criticism. It's just all tonight was just me being around young players. You know, Westbrook you want to know the influence of Blake, look at all of the dunks I had tonight. No, just being around so many young players gave me so much energy to see them bouncing around and all that sort of stuff. Just reenergized me for the night but the fourth the quarter, man, I had nothing left. I exceeded my dunk quota for the game (laughing).

Q. Kobe, knowing that this is going to be your last All Star Game here, was there any sentimental feelings or extra excitement to try to get the MVP?

KOBE BRYANT: No, not really. I wanted to come out and play hard, though. I feel like we have a sense of responsibility and we are voted in for what we do during the season, which is play hard. And we come here, that's what the fans want to see. They want to see us go at it and see us compete and that's what I try to do and that's what I try to tell my teammates to do.

Blake Griffin might just be a rookie and an emerging star, but he knows how to respect his elders.

The Clippers forward, who stole All-Star Weekend with his soar over a car during the Dunk Contest, said he wasn't going to upstage Kobe Bryant on his own stage and stayed clear as the Lakers star nabbed his fourth All-Star Game MVP award.

Bryant scored 37 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and had three assists and three steals Sunday to lead the Western Conference All-Stars to a 148-143 victory at Staples Center.

“Before the game, I said I was going to let him do his thing,” said Griffin, who finished with eight points and five rebounds. “He just went out there and took over. So, I mean it was fun (playing with him.) It was fun to watch a player get off like that and really get his shots. He was just feeling it.”

Griffin and Kevin Love were a bit miffed about Bryant going after all the rebounds.

Kobe Bryant's 21 first-half points were only three away from Glen Rice's 1997 record for most in an All-Star half, so it was going to be difficult to take the MVP award from him as long as the Western Conference won the game Sunday.

Still, I held off in submitting my official MVP vote till the final seconds.

Kevin Durant was definitely better down the stretch for the West -- and unlike LeBron James (no steals, no blocks) for the East played some decent defense (two steals, two blocks) -- and nearly matched Bryant's 37 points with 34. Durant had 14 points in the fourth to Bryant's three -- and Bryant had three turnovers then, too.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich tried to help Bryant out by calling Phil Jackson's usual pick-and-roll for Bryant and Lakers teammate Pau Gasol after the East cut the West's lead to 142-138. But little opened up for Bryant and Gasol while their West teammates just stood around and watched -- as the Lakers too often do -- and Bryant wound up throwing a pass toward Denver's Carmelo Anthony but out of bounds.

James scored at the other end, and then the West ran a clear-out for Bryant before he missed a 19-foot fadeaway. Gasol didn't just stand there, darting in for the tip-in and a 144-140 West lead with 53.5 seconds left.

Kobe Bryant's final line from the All-Star Game at Staples Center on Sunday: 37 points on 14-of-26 field-goal shooting, 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals.

It was enough to earn Bryant his fourth career All-Star MVP award, tying Bob Pettit for most in NBA history.

With 244 all-time All-Star points despite sitting out the game last year with a sore left ankle, Bryant is now 18 points behind Michael Jordan for most All-Star points.

The Western Conference won, 148-143, behind Bryant, Kevin Durant (34 points) and Lakers forward Pau Gasol (17). Credit LeBron James for his second-half effort that made it a close game at the end; James finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.